# California dental CE requirements

> Continuing education requirements in California: dentists 50 units / 2 years (biennial), hygienists 25 units / 2 years (biennial) [regulated by the Dental Hygiene Board of California], assistants RDA (Registered Dental Assistant): 25 units / 2 years. First renewal is CE-exempt. RDAEF/Orthodontic/Dental Sedation assistant permits follow the same DBC assistant CE rules..

URL: https://dentovio.com/ce-requirements/california

Last verified: 2026-07-08

Research confidence: high

Educational summary only, not compliance advice. CE rules change; confirm current requirements, approved providers, and deadlines with the California board before renewing.

## Role requirements

- Dentist: 50 units / 2 years (biennial)
- Dental hygienist: 25 units / 2 years (biennial) [regulated by the Dental Hygiene Board of California]
- Dental assistant: RDA (Registered Dental Assistant): 25 units / 2 years. First renewal is CE-exempt. RDAEF/Orthodontic/Dental Sedation assistant permits follow the same DBC assistant CE rules.

## Renewal cycle and mandatory topics

Biennial cycle. Dentists (Dental Board of California): 50 units per 2 years including mandatory 2-unit Infection Control, 2-unit California Dental Practice Act, 2-unit course on Responsibilities and Requirements of Prescribing Schedule II Opioid Drugs, and up to 4 units Basic Life Support (BLS) from an approved provider — BLS must be in-person/hands-on, online-only BLS is not accepted. No more than 50% of required units may be non-live/correspondence (live video conferencing/webinars/lectures count as live); max 8 units per day. Courses must be from a DBC CE Registered Provider or ADA CERP / AGD PACE provider. Retain certificates for three renewal periods. Hygienists (RDH) 25 units and RDAs 25 units per 2 years follow the same 50%-non-live and 8-units/day caps; first renewal CE-exempt for licensees/permit holders. RDH mandatory-course specifics are set by the Dental Hygiene Board of California.

## Official board source

- <https://www.dbc.ca.gov/licensees/continuing_education.shtml>

## References

- Source 1: <https://www.dbc.ca.gov/licensees/dentist_continuing_education.shtml>
- Source 2: <https://www.dbc.ca.gov/licensees/assistant_continuing_education.shtml>
- Source 3: <https://www.dbc.ca.gov/licensees/continuing_education.shtml>
- Source 4: <https://www.dhbc.ca.gov/licensees/ce_course_requirement.shtml>
- Source 5: <https://www.dhbc.ca.gov/licensees/cont_ed.shtml>

## Related

- [All dental CE requirements by state](https://dentovio.com/ce-requirements/index.html.md)
- [Mandatory dental CE requirements by state](https://dentovio.com/mandatory-dental-ce-requirements/index.html.md)
- [Dentist CE requirements by state](https://dentovio.com/dentist-ce-requirements/index.html.md)
- [Dental hygienist CE requirements by state](https://dentovio.com/dental-hygienist-ce-requirements/index.html.md)
- [Dental assistant CE requirements by state](https://dentovio.com/dental-assistant-ce-requirements/index.html.md)
- [Dental license by state](https://dentovio.com/dental-license-by-state/index.html.md)
- [Dental license requirements by state](https://dentovio.com/dental-license-requirements/index.html.md)
- [Dental license reciprocity by state](https://dentovio.com/dental-license-reciprocity/index.html.md)
- [California dental CPR/BLS requirements](https://dentovio.com/dental-cpr-requirements/california/index.html.md)
- [California online dental CE](https://dentovio.com/online-dental-ce/california/index.html.md)
- [Dental CE hours tracker](https://dentovio.com/tools/ce-tracker)